Central Questions

Seasonal-to-Interannual Variability in Biological Responses

• How will climate change alter California Current ecosystems, through changes in the length, strength and timing of cyclical interannual variations, especially ENSO events?

Decadal and Longer Variability in Biological Responses

• What is the nature of the biological response in Eastern Boundary Currents to demonstrated, basin-scale, interdecadal changes in ocean-atmosphere coupling?

Mesoscale Variability in Biological Responses

• How are biological processes and the characteristics of planktonic populations affected by mesoscale features and dynamics in the CCS?

Latitudinal Gradients in Biological Responses

• How are recruitment, retention/transport, predator/prey relations, and life history strategies of planktonic stages impacted by latitudinal variability in the large-scale atmospheric and oceanic forcing in EBC ecosystems?
• How do differences in mesoscale activity in the four regions of the CCS affect the recruitment dynamics, vital rates, and life histories of resident marine animal s?